Maytinee Kramer/Staff Writer
UPDATE: April 11 at 11:00 a.m.
Madeline Baró, Associate Director of Media Relations, said in an email to Student Media that FIU records show that Adonis Diaz, Juan Carlos Lopez and Luis Alonso-Piovet are not FIU students.
Pablo Reinaldo Romo is a computer science major who is not currently enrolled, Baró’s email read.
UPDATE: April 11 at 10:00 a.m.
The four suspects accused of attacking two men, hours after the Miami Beach gay pride parade over the weekend, have surrendered to the Miami Beach Police Department Tuesday afternoon.
The men, identified as Juan Lopez, Adonis Diaz, Pablo Reinaldo Romo, all 21, and Luis Alonso-Piovet, 20, surrendered through an attorney and anticipate felony charges for each of them, according to authorities.
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Two victims were attacked in Miami Beach after the city’s Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, April 8, said police.
Video footage captured four young men — one wearing a Florida International University T-shirt — walking up to a bathroom area on Ocean Drive and 6th Street, and attacking Rene Chalarca and Dmitry Logunov who were standing near the restrooms on the 500 block of Lummus Park. The attack happened at around 7:40 p.m. It’s unknown if the man wearing the FIU shirt is a student, as of the time this article was written.
Police said the victims were called gay slurs in Spanish during the attack, according to NBC , and were chased by the suspects when they tried to run away. That’s when Helmut Muller Estrada, who was standing near the bathrooms at the time of the fight, tried to break up the attack.
Estrada was then hit and knocked to the ground, leaving him injured. He was taken to the hospital for observation.
Chalarca and Logunov were also injured in the attack, sustaining multiple injuries to their faces.
“We probably provoked them because we were walking together, holding hands,” said Logunov in a statement to NBC 6. “It was gay pride, South Beach was full of gay people.”
In response to the attack, the University sent the following tweet out on Tuesday, April 10: “FIU stands for tolerance, diversity and inclusion. The alleged actions of these individuals do not represent FIU values. Please take a look at these individuals and help the police find them.”
FIU stands for tolerance, diversity and inclusion. The alleged actions of these individuals do not represent FIU values. Please take a look at these individuals and help the police find them. https://t.co/u2TxBTlsmu
— FIU (@FIU) April 10, 2018
Larry Lunsford, vice president of Student Affairs, also said in an email to Student Media that it’s necessary to know all the facts and details before labeling the incident as a hate crime, and is confident that police officers will review the evidence and identify what led to the attack.
“It’s disappointing to see any act of violence take place in our community and particularly at an event that celebrates inclusion, diversity and equality,” Lunsford’s email read.
FIU Student Media also contacted the Miami Beach Police Department to learn more about the incident, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Police are asking for help in identifying the suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Student Media will update this article as the story develops. Feature Image is a screenshot of the four suspects retrieved from the video footage Miami Beach Police released.
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